1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the process of inserting sliders onto slide zippers used on reclosable plastic bags and, more particularly, to an apparatus which pre-positions and feeds a set number of sliders from a slider supply to the slider insertion area of at least two slider insertion devices, with the set number of sliders based on the requirements of each slider insertion device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Reclosable bags having slide zippers are generally more desirable to consumers than bags having traditional interlocking zippers, since such bags are perceived to be easier to open and close than bags with sliderless zippers. As a result, slide zippers for use with plastic bags are numerous and well-known in the reclosable fastener art. Typical slide zippers comprise a plastic zipper having two interlocking profiles and a slider for engaging and disengaging the interlocking profiles of the zipper.
Methods and apparatuses for manufacturing reclosable plastic bags using reclosable zippers with a slider are also well-known in the art. Known slider loaders include the Hugues reference (U.K. Patent No. 2,085,519) and the LaGuerve references (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,701,191 and 3,701,192), as well as the slider insertion apparatus provided in application Ser. No. 10/096,409, filed Mar. 11, 2002, entitled “INSERTION APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING SLIDERS ONTO ZIPPER BAGS AND FILM”. Typically, a loading rack providing a supply of sliders to a slider insertion area is attached as part of the slider loader or the slider insertion apparatus. As such, the use of loading racks with slider loaders or other insertion devices is fairly well-developed in the prior art, but nevertheless remains open to improvements contributing to increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
An improvement in the use of loading racks is to provide a feed tube and sender apparatus in which sliders are pneumatically transported in predetermined quantities from a supply of sliders to the loading rack. The slider feed apparatus of application Ser. No. 10/106,687 entitled “SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING SLIDERS FOR ZIPPER BAGS” and filed Mar. 25, 2002, provides an apparatus for transporting a predetermined quantity of sliders to a loading rack and the slider insertion area of a slider insertion device.
A further improvement in the ability of transporting sliders in predetermined quantities to a slider insertion apparatus is the ability to pre-position and feed a predetermined quantity of sliders from one slider supply to a plurality of slider insertion devices. By using one slider supply for a plurality of slider insertion devices, the amount of space and maintenance required for expanded manufacturing operations is reduced.